Contribution project

Energy-efficient cooking bags in Cameroon

Cameroon, Klima-Kollekte

ClimatePartner ID: 1259

Project details

Energy-efficient cooking bagsGet to know the project

In rural Cameroon, only a few people have access to electricity. Therefore, cooking with firewood is common. Women and children, in particular, have to walk long distances to collect wood and then spend a lot of time preparing food on inefficient three-stone fire cookers. The smoke produced in the process leads to serious health problems. Climate change and the overexploitation of local wood resources threaten the livelihoods of the population.

The project of Pro Climate International (PCI) is counteracting this: 6,000 families in the west and southwest of Cameroon receive energy-efficient cooking bags, the so-called "Wondercooker". The cooking bags are produced locally by trained sewers. They are made of cotton fabric on the outside and recycled and crushed polystyrene on the inside. PCI is looking for alternatives for the filling and users can return defect cooking bags so that the materials can be reused.

3,632 t CO₂Estimated annual emissions reductions

Project Standard

The project contributes to the the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals

How energy-efficient cooking bags contribute to climate action?

The so-called "Wondercooker" are a simple and cost-effective way to save energy when cooking and significantly reduce both pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions. Food is first cooked at the cooking zone and then placed in the cooking bag. This is sealed so that the food is simmered gently. No further energy is required and the women no longer have to remain at the cooking area until the food is ready.

With the energy-efficient cooking bags, the families use about 60 percent less firewood and CO₂ emissions are saved accordingly. In addition, the project helps to protect the forests, as less wood is used and the rate of deforestation is reduced. Projects for energy-efficient cooking bags in the ClimatePartner portfolio are registered with international standards.

The project aims to contribute to these United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Project facts

Climate projects generally fall into one of three groups: carbon reduction, carbon removal, or carbon avoidance. Carbon reduction projects reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by a specific activity (e.g., improved cookstoves). Carbon removal projects remove carbon from the atmosphere by sequestering it in carbon sinks (e.g., reforestation). Carbon avoidance projects avoid greenhouse gas emissions entering the atmosphere (e.g., protecting forests from deforestation with REDD+ projects).

All climate projects are based on international standards. They set processes and requirements which carbon projects must fulfill to be recognised as a proven method of reducing carbon emissions.

Climate projects demonstrably reduce, remove, or avoid greenhouse gas emissions. This is achieved with various technologies, ranging from nature-based solutions to social impact projects and renewable energies.

Most standards on the voluntary carbon market list their projects in public registries. The registries are used to store project data and track issuances and retirements of verified emission reductions. The registry ID can be used to identify projects in the standard registry.

Check out this project

Climate projects go through third-party validation and verification. Verification happens regularly after each monitoring period. A validation and verification body checks and assesses whether the values and project activities stated in the monitoring report are correct and verifies them. As with validation, visits to the project site are often part of the process.

Climate projects go through third-party validation and verification. Validation happens early in the project life cycle and ensures that the project design is in line with current processes and requirements. This phase often also involves field visits with on-site interviews and analyses. Auditors are accredited, impartial assessors who have to be approved as a validation and verification body (VVB) by the standards body.

This figure shows the estimated annual emission reductions calculated before the project started. The actual number of emissions saved in each monitoring period may differ. The background to this process is that in order to be registered as a climate project, the project operator must submit the calculation of the estimated emissions savings using the ex-ante methodology in a Project Design Document (PDD), which is similar to a business plan. This calculation is validated by an independent auditor. The values determined in the PDD are recalculated during regular monitoring periods based on actual project performance, documented in a monitoring report, and verified again by independent auditors at the end of the monitoring period to ensure a robust process. Independent verification thus provides ex-post verification of actual emission reductions. Verified emission reductions are not distributed until the savings have actually been made.

* For certified projects only: the project-related information on this page is based on the documents in the register.

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